- Lu Sheng-yen
-
Not to be confused with Dharma Drum Mountain's Sheng-yen.
Lu Sheng-yen
盧勝彥 (蓮生活佛)
Lu in 2004Religion True Buddha lineage
Pure Land Buddhism
Vajrayana
TaoismOther name(s) Living Buddha Lian Sheng
Master Lu
Huaguang Zizai Fo
(Bright Flower Sovereign Buddha)Personal Nationality Taiwanese Born (27 June 1945; 5th month, 18th day Lunar Calendar)
Chiayi County, TaiwanSenior posting Title Grand Master
RinpocheReligious career Website tbsn.org This is a Chinese name; the family name is Lu.Lu Sheng-Yen (盧勝彥, Lú Shèngyàn) (born 27 June 1945; 5th month, 18th day Lunar Calendar), commonly referred to by followers as 師尊 (Grand Master Lu) is the founder and spiritual leader of the True Buddha School, a new Buddhist sect with teachings taken from Sutrayana and Vajrayana (Tantric Buddhism), as well as Taoism. Master Lu has declared himself to be Living Buddha Lian Sheng (蓮生活佛, Liansheng Huófó) and is revered by his disciples as a Living Buddha.[1]. He is the only known fully enlightened Buddha in this world at the moment. His mastery on Buddhist teachings is second to none. To state in profound sense, he has not "gotten it [Dharma - 佛法]," as the Sixth Patriarch once said, in reference to the fact that there is nothing to obtain since he already is a manifestation of his Buddha Nature.
His organization says that over seven million students have taken refuge as disciples under Lu. There are also more than four hundred local chapters of the True Buddha School, including thirty major temples, such as the Ling Shen Ching Tze Temple in Redmond, Washington. The majority of his disciples hail from Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia. He has dual American and Taiwanese citizenship, and often travels between the two countries.
Grand Master Lu is married to Lian Hsiang, who is also a vajra master, and is referred as Grand Madam Lu, or 師母. Grand Master Lu and Grand Madam Lu have two children.[2]
Contents
Life
Born in Chiayi County, Taiwan in 1945, Lu was raised a Christian, attending a Protestant school. His post-secondary education was at Chung Cheng Institute of Technology, and he graduated with a degree in Survey Engineering. In his early twenties he was both a survey engineer and a Sunday school Bible teacher.
In 1969 he had a mystical experience whereby the Golden Mother 瑤池金母 opened his third eye and took him for a visit to the Western Pure Land. This was the beginning of a Buddha-in-training, where he eventually sought out more than twenty-one gurus to receive teachings on Taoism, Sutrayana, and Vajrayana Buddhism. In 1982, Lu and a small following of his disciples moved to the United States, and lived in the state of Washington. His four main gurus are Thubthen Daeryi, Master Sakya Zhengong, the 16th Karmapa, and Monk Liao Ming. It is well known that Grand Master Lu supplicates for their blessings prior to the start of his dharma teachings.
As of 25 October 2011, Lu has written 224 books in Chinese on various topics, including Feng Shui, spirituality, and profound dharma teachings. Many of these books have been translated to both English and Spanish.
He went into retreat for six years starting late 2000, spending most of his time in Taihiti, as well as some in Taiwan.[3] Today he lives in Taiwan.
Teachings
Lu teaches the Mahamudra method of attaining Buddhahood. His teachings follow the traditional stages of the practice of the Four Preliminaries, followed by Guru Yoga, Deity Yoga, the Vajra Practices, and finally Highest Yoga Tantra.[4]
Grand Master Lu is the manifestation of Padmakumara, which is the Dharma Body of Amitabha Buddha.[5]
Grand Master Lu's teachings do not prohibit the consumption of meat and alcohol (as do some sects in Vajrayana); however, the eating of meat is restricted to animals not butchered specifically for the person consuming. And before consuming meats, the spirit of the animal must be delivered.
After a meeting in November 1996 with the Dalai Lama and a meeting with the 100th Ganden Tri Rinpoche, Grand master Lu's mastery on buddhist teachings was confirmed.
Grand Master Lu has many special teachings that only few can confer. Some of those include:
Kalachakra empowerments, Hevajra empowerments, Vajrakilaya empowerment, and many more.
Notes
- ^ Lu, Sheng-yen. Who is Sheng-Yen Lu
- ^ Rev. Pi Yan (2006). Grand Master and Grand Madam visited LSCT Temple Chicago Chapter on Nov 11, 2006
- ^ True Buddha News (Edition 609, page 2)
- ^ Lu Sheng-yen. Highest Yoga Tantra and Mahamudra, ch. 2
- ^ Lu Sheng-yen. The Emergence of Padmakumara
References
- Casey, Noah. The True Buddha School: A Field Research Report on The Chan Hai Lei Zang Temple. Montreal Religious Sites Project.
- Lu, Sheng-yen (1995). A Complete and Detailed Exposition on the True Buddha Tantric Dharma. San Bruno, CA: Purple Lotus Society. ISBN 1-881493-04-0
External links
- True Buddha School Net (Official site)
- Unofficial True Buddha School Blog
Buddhism Categories:- 1945 births
- Living people
- Buddhist writers
- Taiwanese Buddhists
- American Buddhists
- Converts to Buddhism
- People from Redmond, Washington
- Buddhism and women
- People from Chiayi County
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
